Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

Would You Glow For Sushi?

In a today's New York Times article "Warnings Don't Deter Lovers of Sushi", New Yorkers are quite cavalier about lab results showing that tuna samples from 5 New York sushi restaurants - Gourmet Garage, Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi - all had  unusually high levels of mercury.  Some of the people quoted chose non-tuna items, some chose tuna anyway and Roberta Berman of Staten Island was reported to have shrugged and said :

“If I become iridescent from it, I become iridescent from it.” She added. “I’ll glow in the dark.”

What would you do if the craving for sushi hit?

Technorati Tags: sushi, new york times, mercury, warnings, gourmet garage, nobu next door, sushi seki, sushi of gari, blue ribbon sushi

Are There Cretons In TO?

I just got a note from a friend asking if I knew where to get cretons in Toronto.

I don't.

Do you?

Food Building Favourites

It's okay, you can admit it.  We all have our favourites. Those treats we crave all year and can only get at the CNE.  The media use them to remind us of the tastes and smells of the EX (the good ones anyway), and most of us leave with our bellies full and talking about how much bigger, better or cheaper they were before.  But we all know we'll be craving them again soon and spend another year fantasizing about our favourite treats. Tiny Tom's Donuts are one of my "must have" treats. I watch them roll off the conveyor belt, get scooped up and shaken in cinnamon sugar, and my mouth waters as they are handed to me, still warm, in their brown paper bag... oh baby! This year the folks at the CNE sent me a full list of the Food Building vendors.  So for those of you who haven't made it out to the Ex yet, here is the full list (plan accordingly) MEALS & SNACKS 99c¢ Spaghetti Ali's West Indian Roti Shop (CETO pg. 96) American Original Seafood Angel Garden Chinese Anouosh Mr. Shawarma Bourban Street Grill Café' India Grill & Wrap California Burgers Campfire Grill Charlie's Farms Shish Kebob House Chicago Fries, Steak & Salad Coaches Corner (Perogies) Curly Q Fries & Finger Foods

Vovici Online Survey Software

Street Meat or Street Treats?

With the recent announcement of changes to Ontario's street food vendor regulations we may be seeing some great new options added to menus at hot dog carts and fry trucks around the city as of August 1st.

I'm headed down to today's Street Treats event in Nathan Philips Square from 12-2pm to check out what some of the restaurateurs are thinking street vendors might consider offering up.

It'll be interesting to see what changes this will make to what is actually available and whether street vendors will embrace this as much as the media, restaurateurs and honestly I want them too.

If they do, what would you like to see show up on their chalkboard menus?

Dosa on Bay Street? Empanada from a street vendor in Leslieville? Bangkok Street Noodles in Chinatown?

What are your favourite street meats and street treats?

Technorati tags: street treats, street meat, toronto zoo, street food vendor regulations, ontario, dosa, empanada, bangkok street noodles, toronto street treats, nathan philip square

What's happening to Amato?

  What's happening to Amato?

The Amato at Yonge & Eglington is now Madanto.  The Yonge & College location has started distributing it's own fliers, with no reference to the rest of the locations and more than a year ago stopped using the centralized number for deliveries.  And then there was last year's pickets.

What gives?

Lex on Street Meat

Yes it's true, I'm going to be CBC 1 discussing Street Meat with Jian Ghomeshi on Sounds Like Canada Friday. (unless something more interesting causes us to be rescheduled.)

I'm hoping the conversation will expand beyond just Street Meats since the hotdog cart is the strongest representative in Toronto's Street Meats category.  However there are plenty of other Street Treats to be had - empanada, puri, doubles, pupusas, roti, roasted corn and even waffle fishies filled with bean paste.  And I'm willing to wax poetic about all of them!

Jian & I will be joined by Mark Busse a food blogger (In The Kitchen) from Vancouver and Matthew Gibbon a donair & dog aficionado from Halifax.   (did you like that "Jian & I..." part? I did.)

One of the most interesting pre-interview questions that arose was "How do you define Street Meat?"

My response, initially, was that Street Food (and by extension Street Meat) is food that you buy from street vendors.  Street Meat in Canada generally being in one of three forms: meat-on-a-stick, meat-in-a-tube, or formed-meat.

But then the question then arose: do you define Street Food based on the venue or the food itself.  Is a hot dog still street meat if you buy it at a fast food joint? If you buy Coq Au Vin from a chip truck is it Street Food?   Do Bangkok Street Noodles stop being street if you get them at a sit-down restaurant in Toronto?

So, I'm forced to expand my definition of Street Food/Street Meat to food that is typically available from a street vendor in a make-shift or portable kiosk/stand in it's country of origin. Fast and portable, it's the original fast food. 

But what about the experience inherent in buying Street Meat? The joy of watching roasted corn being rubbed down by spice-dipped limes?  The calculated risk when chosing which cart to go to?  How can that be separated from the whole?

I'm looking forward to an interesting conversation about whether places like Ghazele's, Ghandi's & Narula's count.  Personally I'm torn since they are full establishments with a front door and a chair... but I'm willing to debate whether you judge "street food" based on the food or the nature of the place you get it.

Sounds like Canada?  Sounds like CheapEats to me!

Burgerlicious

Recently, over beer and cameras with the flickr.com crowd, conversation turned to burgers. Inspired by Mondo's recent discourse on Charlie's Char-Broil homeburger special, people started reminiscing over burgers past.

So how about we have a burger-quest?

Opinions were flung about like unwanted tomato slices and the burger debate started in earnest. Johnny's Hamburgers (ceto-06 pg 84), Charlie's Char-Broil and Star Burger were all mentioned as favourites. (and are now all on the "recommended" list for the next edition).

Add to that the "Want a great burger" Quick List (ceto-06 pg 63):

So, say you were a blogger...

And, say you wanted to:

• blog about this cool new book, or perhaps
• comment on something in the book, or perhaps
• comment on a restaurant in the book...

What could the publisher of said "book" provide you with that would make it:

• more fun for you?
• easier for you?
• more likely you'd link back?

Or, in more direct terms, what kind of things could we provide on the cheapeats blog that would make it easier, faster, and more fun for you to participate in this blog and/or blog about the book?